AMED’s board on Monday raised the organization’s ambulance transport charges by 3.8%, in conjunction with its passage of a 2026 budget.

The increase will bring the cost of Basic Life Support (BLS) transports to $2,130, according to AMED Executive Director Gary Watters.

Advanced Life Support (ALS) calls have been — and will be — $100 more than BLS calls.

It’s the first transport rate increase in three years, Watters said.

AMED’s charges are middle-of-the-road in Pennsylvania — in the 55th percentile, according to Medicare public use files, Watters said.

A recent increase in reimbursement amounts for transports covered by Medicaid helped the organization refrain from raising the charges earlier, according to Watters.

But for 2026, it became necessary, as premiums for employee medical insurance through UPMC Health Plan are going up 16.8%, he said.

With that increase, the organization will be paying just shy of $1 million in 2026 in health care premiums, Watters said.

Workers compensation through UPMC is expected to cost about $90,000 in 2026, although that could rise with wage increases, according to Watters.

The budget calls for purchases of wheelchair vans, regular ambulances and medical response vehicles.

Sometimes called quick response or rapid response vehicles, medical response vehicles are used to bring paramedics or doctors with advanced medical gear to emergency scenes for immediate care or management of complex situations, prior to arrival of a traditional ambulance, without necessarily transporting patients, according to an online source.

As of Nov. 30, AMED has answered 18,282 calls this year — including 845 outside the organization’s primary coverage area.

By the end of the year, the total number of calls should be close to last year’s total, which was a little over 19,000, Watters said.

Those calls outside the primary coverage area reflect the need to cover for small volunteer services that sometimes aren’t able to answer their 911 summons.

Also Monday, the board approved an intergovernmental agreement under which AMED will provide ambulance service to Huston Township.

That will be in conjunction with AMED’s beginning service at the start of 2026 for Martinsburg and North Woodbury Township.

All three of those municipalities are currently served by Hollidaysburg American Legion Ambulance Service.

Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.